Lawsuit peels back claims about popular TGI Fridays snack

Prepackaged potato skins marketed by TGI Fridays are not made with the skins of potatoes, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court in New York on Wednesday.

Plaintiff Solange Troncoso of New York is proposing a class action against the Carrollton, Texas-based company, claiming that the company misleads consumers by selling “Potato Skins” snacks that contain potato flakes and potato starch, but no skins, Reuters reported.

The lawsuit claims the Idaho Potato Commission and others inside and outside the industry have associated potato skins with healthy eating since they started appearing on restaurant menus a half-century ago, according to the wire service.

Ms. Troncoso is claiming she and other consumers are defrauded by the misleading packaging for its bacon ranch, cheddar and bacon, and sour cream and onion potato skins, providing them with an “inferior product,” either by mistake or at a “full” price, according to Reuters.

“The presence of potato skins imparts a further value in the eyes of reasonable consumers,” states the complaint, filed almost a year after Ms. Troncoso paid $1.99 for a bag of TGI Fridays Sour Cream & Onion Potato Skins at a convenience store.